Terms of reference

2.1 The Academic Board exercises its powers and duties as prescribed in Article 8 of the Charter. To that end the Board conducts its business according to the following terms of reference:

(a) to maintain and enhance the academic quality of the College’s academic provision and to assure academic standards for all of its awards, in keeping with the College’s strategic goals;

(b) to award Degrees, Diplomas, Certificates and other academic distinctions in accordance with the prescriptions of the Charter, Statutes and Ordinances;

(c) to approve award titles, programmes of study, and research programmes leading to an award;

(d) to promote research and innovation within the College and to monitor the effective operation of key policies concerning research;

(e) to make recommendations to the Council on any matters referred to the Academic Board by the Council or on any other matter relating to academic quality and standards assurance or institution-wide academic policy and strategy; thereby providing Council with access to the opinions of students and academic staff in such matters;

(f) to establish Standing Committees as are appropriate for the expedient execution of business, clearly stating limits of delegated authority, responsibility and reporting arrangements in each case;

(g) to regulate academic misconduct and student discipline;

(h) to add, amend and revoke regulations, to manage its delegated

responsibilities as laid down in the Charter, Statutes and Ordinances; and (i) to do such other acts or things as the Council shall authorise.

3. Chair

3.1 The Principal shall be the Chair of the Academic Board.

3.2 The Principal may appoint from amongst the academic members of the College a Deputy Chair to act in his absence.

4. Membership

Ex-officio members

4.1 The Principal, Vice-Principals, the Reverend The Dean, and the President of the Students’ Union are ex-officio members of the Academic Board.

4.2 The Heads of Schools who are members of the Academic Board shall be the Heads of the Schools of King’s College London as defined in Ordinance B3.

4.3 The Heads of Academic Services who are members of the Academic Board shall be the Head of Administration and College Secretary, the Chief Information Officer and College Librarian, the Director of Academic Services and the Director of Services for Students.

4.4 The Assistant Principals, the Chairs of the Committees/Boards that report to the Academic Board, the Director of the King’s Learning Institute and the Director of the Graduate School shall also be ex-officio members of the Academic Board.

4.5 When a Head of School is also an ex-officio member of the Academic Board in another capacity, eg as Chair of one of the Board’s committees, the Head of School may appoint a deputy as a replacement member to the Board in the Head of School category. Acting Heads of Schools formally appointed as such shall be ex-officio members of the Academic Board for the period of their appointment.

4.6 Ex-officio members shall not be eligible to serve on the Academic Board under any other category of membership.

Student members

4.7 The student members shall number four.

4.8 One undergraduate student member and one postgraduate student member shall be elected by and from among the undergraduate and postgraduate students registered with the Schools of Arts and Humanities, Law, Natural and Mathematical Sciences, and Social Science and Public Policy.

4.9 One undergraduate student member and one postgraduate student member shall be elected by and from among the undergraduate and postgraduate students registered with the Schools of Biomedical and Health Sciences, Nursing and Midwifery,

Medicine, the Dental Institute and the Institute of Psychiatry.

4.10 The Students’ Union of the College shall be responsible for the election of the student members, subject to the approval by the Academic Board of the method employed. Student members of the Academic Board shall be elected for one year and shall be eligible for re-election for one further year but not thereafter as student members.

4.11 A student member who fails to attend three consecutive meetings without good cause found acceptable by the Chair of the Board will be deemed to have resigned.

School members

4.12 The other members shall number 27, three to be drawn from each School.

4.13 Each Head of School shall appoint one member who shall be a Professor, Reader or Senior Lecturer for a term not less than two academic years and not greater than four.

4.14 Two members will be elected by and from among the teaching and research staff of each School in accordance with the staff grades recognised for this purpose by the Academic Board, provided that at least one member from each School is drawn from the junior members of staff of the School.

4.15 Members in this category will be eligible to serve for a period of four years in the first instance and will be eligible for reappointment or re-election for a second or further period provided that there is an interval of at least one year between any two of these periods. However, members seeking reappointment or re-election having previously filled a casual vacancy will not be required to leave an interval of one year between appointments.

4.16 Members in this category who fail to attend three consecutive meetings will be required to demonstrate good cause for an absence; members who fail to attend meetings for twelve consecutive calendar months without good cause found acceptable by the Chair of the Board will be deemed to have resigned.

4.17 If an elected member in this category (see Regulation 4.14) is promoted and ceases to be eligible for office in the capacity in which s/he was elected s/he shall cease to be a member from the start of the next academic session.

4.18 The full membership of the Academic Board is given below.

Ex-officio

The Principal 1

The Vice-Principals 5

The Assistant Principals 1

The Reverend The Dean 1

Heads/Deans of Schools 9

The President of the Students’ Union 1 Director of King’s Learning Institute 1 Director of the Graduate School 1 Heads of Academic Services

Head of Administration and College Secretary 1 Chief Information Officer and College Librarian 1

Director of Academic Services 1

Director of Services for Students 1 Chairs or Deputies of Academic Board sub-committees

College Assessment Board 1

College Education Committee 1

College Research Committee 1

Sub-total 27

Student members

1 undergraduate and 1 postgraduate from each group of Schools (Health and Arts and Sciences) 4

Sub-total 4

School members

Arts and Humanities 3

Biomedical and Health Sciences 3

Dental Institute 3

Law 3

Medicine 3

Natural and Mathematical Sciences 3

Nursing and Midwifery 3

Institute of Psychiatry 3

Social Science and Public Policy 3 Sub-total 27 Grand total 58

General provisions

4.19 A member of the Academic Board shall immediately cease to be a member if, by notice in writing to the Secretary of the Board, s/he resigns her/his membership.

4.20 Ex-officio members of the Academic Board (see Regulations 4.1 to 4.6 above) and appointed members of the Academic Board (see Regulation 4.13 above) unable to attend a meeting may send a replacement providing that the Secretary is notified in advance of the meeting. Replacements will count for quoracy and have voting rights.

4.21 The Academic Board may from time to time propose adjustments to its membership.

Such adjustments shall require the approval of the Council.

4.22 All members of the Academic Board shall have equal status, rights, powers and duties.

4.2 Except as provided for in Regulation 4.3 above, officers of the College whose attendance is required at meetings of the Academic Board shall attend meetings as officers of the College but not as members of the Academic Board.

5. Meetings

5.1 There shall be at least four ordinary meetings of the Academic Board in every academic year.

5.2 Extraordinary meetings of the Academic Board may be convened at any time by the Principal of the College. The Head of Administration and College Secretary shall call an extraordinary meeting of the Academic Board if requested to do so by the Council, or on receipt of a request signed by no less than one-third of the members of the Academic Board. The meeting shall be held no sooner than 10 days and within 21 days from receipt of the request. No business shall be transacted at an extraordinary meeting except that for which it has been convened.

5.3 In the absence of the Principal and the Deputy Chair, the Academic Board shall elect a Chair for that meeting.

6. Quoracy

6.1 The quorum of a meeting of the Academic Board shall be as prescribed in the Ordinances which is a simple majority.

7. Voting

7.1 When a vote is taken at a meeting of the Academic Board, each member of the Academic Board present shall have one vote and the votes of a majority of the members present and voting shall decide. If the voting is equal the Chair shall have an additional casting vote.